The 2024-2025 NBA season has reached its 82nd game. While the seedings in the East are pretty much set, the race in the West still remains open. One team bordering on a Play-In spot is the Golden State Warriors. The Dubs currently hold the No. 6 spot, but a loss to the LA Clippers in the final game could push them to No. 7.
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So when the Warriors revealed that Steph Curry would be questionable for the Clippers game, it raised a flag. Curry has been plagued by a thumb injury all season. It re-aggravated in Saturday night’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers. If the Chef doesn’t play, there’s a good chance the Dubs will lose. The suspicion is that the Warriors won’t mind that result.
If the Warriors went to the Play-In and won, they would be seeded against the Houston Rockets. Fans believe this is an elaborate scheme by Steve Kerr’s squad to avoid facing the Lakers.
“Warriors ducking the Lakers?” a user asked on X. “Absolutely they scared af,” another fan answered.
Both the accounts, incidentally, were of Lakers fans. It looks like Laker Nation feels the Warriors, who defeated them a week back, may be ducking a seven-game series.
🚨 Steph Curry (thumb) QUESTIONABLE tomorrow
Warriors ducking the Lakers? 👀 pic.twitter.com/E04RllJRNW
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) April 12, 2025
One user stated that it would be a smart move by the Warriors’ staff if they duck the Lakers rather than play them in the 1st round. “If they are smart they’ll duck,” they said. Another fan, in direct response to the original account’s question, said, “Ofc they are.”
While the accusation seems outlandish, it is a fact that a young Rockets team would probably be an easier matchup for the Warriors than a LeBron James and Luka Doncic-led Lakers. That said, the Dubs are four-time champions under Steve Kerr for a reason. They are not novices when it comes to finding ways to win a tough playoff series.
Anything could happen in a Play-In spot. Fans can accuse the team of “ducking” as much as they want. But do the Warriors want to risk a postseason experience of playing a hungry 8th, 9th, or 10th seed? There’s too much at risk for them to drop games casually.
As it stands, the Memphis Grizzlies are a lock for the Play-In tournament. So if the Warriors fall on Sunday, they’d certainly meet them in the 7th-seed Play-In game. Even though the Dubs are up 3-1 in the regular-season series, anything can happen when Ja Morant and his scrappy Grizzlies show up.
Also, the Warriors’ record in the Play-In tournament hasn’t been the best. They’ve participated in two Play-In tournaments, in 2021 and 2024. On the first occasion, they lost to the Lakers in the first game and fell to the Grizzlies in the second one. In 2024, they played the Sacramento Kings and lost.
The Dubs would be skeptical about a Play-In scenario thanks to their horrific 0-3 record. Also, Curry spoke about his injury shortly after the Blazers game, stating, “It hurts right now, but I’ll be alright.” That’s a hint that he wants to play the final game and ensure a victory.
The game between the Clippers and the Warriors at the Chase Center is already being hailed as an unofficial Play-In since it has such a drastic outcome on the Western Conference seedings.
One thing is for certain: if the Warriors and Lakers both continue to play as well as they have since the trade deadline, their playoff meeting is inevitable.
